Starcrossed Lovers
by Rae D. Magdon
Summary: Shepard and Liara's eldest is caught in a compromising position with Aria and Tevos's daughter. Shepard is horrified, Aria finds the entire situation hilarious, Tevos is concerned about some questionable extranet purchases, and everyone needs a drink. Or several. Post-MMIP and Conflict of Interest


**Pairing:** Aria/Tevos + Femshep/Liara + their kids

**Rating: M** (no smut, just awkward sex talks)

**AN:** This story takes place in the year 2279, many decades after Match Made In Purgatory and Conflict of Interest. Shepard and Liara have three daughters: Athena (Liara is pregnant with her at the end of MMIP), Diana, and Benezia. Aria and Tevos have one: Lycoris. Lycoris and Athena are an item, unbeknownst to their parents. My friend psychotic-cat, who collaborated on Heat with me, wants to write a longer, more in-depth story about Lycoris and Athena's blossoming romance. I've given her permission to do so, since I'll be busy with Conflict of Interest.

**. . .**

**Starcrossed Lovers  
**

**. . .  
**

When Benezia opened the door to her older sister's room, it triggered multiple reactions at once. Three voices started screaming, a well-placed singularity came rocketing from one of the two naked figures on the bed, and Benezia found herself pinned to the ceiling.

"Damn it, Lycoris, put me down! Athena, tell her..."

Athena crossed her arms protectively over her breasts, completely unsympathetic. "What are you even doing in here, Nezzie? Get out!"

Benezia rolled her eyes. "I can't leave while your girlfriend has me trapped up here, stupid." She looked down at Lycoris, who was glaring at her with a mixture of frustration and contempt. Her eyes were still black and glossy, and Benezia shuddered. Some of it was disgust – Lycoris had been Joining with her sister, which was gross – but part of her was undeniably jealous. Just because Athena was older...

_'Oh for fuck's sake... Should I let her down?'_

_'Leave her, Corrie. She deserves it.'_

"Stop talking through the meld, it's creeping me out!"

Embarrassed, the two lovers broke skin contact and allowed their eyes to return to normal. "And if you're not going to let me go, at least put some damn clothes on. Gah! It's worse than when I catch Mom and Dad."

"All of you need to stop shouting. Some of us are trying to sleep." Everyone turned – Benezia with some difficulty – to look at the fourth figure standing by the door.

"Well, shit," Lycoris grumbled. "See, this is why I wanted to do it at my place. No annoying sisters. But you were all, _'no, Corrie, I need you now! Fuck me, please!'_"

"I do not sound like that!" said Athena, blushing furiously and trying to wrap herself in the bedsheets as Benezia made a disgusted noise from the ceiling.

"Yes you do," Lycoris and the broad-shouldered asari in the doorway answered at the same time. They shared an awkward look.

"Hey, Diana. So..."

"Don't – don't even talk to me right now, Cor. I just – I can't... My sister... Fuck." Diana was wearing boxers and a sleeveless shirt that showed off the well-developed muscles in her arms, earned through months of grueling Commando training. Unfortunately, the misshapen imprint that her pillowcase had left on the side of one blue cheek ruined the intimidating effect she had been going for.

Benezia coughed, causing the three of them to glance back up at the ceiling. "So, now that we've all said our friendly hellos, can somebody get me down from here? Come on, Di."

"You're on your own, sis. I finally fell asleep through Athena's screaming and Lycoris's swearing, and then you came in here and made things even louder. Fuck all of you, I'm going back to bed and pretending this was a bad dream." Still muttering under her breath and lifting her middle finger in a decidedly human gesture, Diana stomped back down the hall and slammed the door to her room.

"One down, one to go," Athena said, her embarrassment giving way to anger. "Benezia, I swear, if you go to Mom and Dad about this, I'll warp you so hard you'll be walking backwards because your head will be turned one hundred and eighty degrees in the wrong direction."

Benezia's eyes widened with fear. Athena had always been the quiet, studious type, much like their mother, but when she did get angry, it was strangely terrifying. Her oldest sister had been known to hold grudges for years at a time. "Look, it was an accident –"

"Bullshit," Lycoris interrupted.

Athena seemed inclined to agree with her lover's assessment. "You did this on purpose. I can't decide whether it's because you're a drama queen or a jealous pervert, but I don't care."

"Probably both," Lycoris drawled.

"Now, promise you'll leave us alone and that you won't tell Mom and Dad."

"Will you let me down?" Benezia asked hopefully.

Athena and Lycoris shared another glance, communicating silently through body language even without the meld. "Maybe," Athena said after a long moment. "I'm serious about this. If Mom and Dad find out..."

"Too late." The sound of Commander Shepard's voice made Lycoris flinch and glance toward her clothes. She hadn't particularly cared about Benezia seeing her naked, but she suddenly felt underdressed in front of Athena's parents. Both of them had taken Diana's place in the doorway, and they didn't look pleased with what they saw.

"Mom! Dad! Tell Athena to let me down!"

"Benezia?" Liara pushed her way into the room, staring up at the ceiling with a mixture of confusion, frustration, and just a hint of amusement. "How long have you been up there?" With a quick tug of her biotics, she brought her youngest daughter back down to the ground.

"Oof!" Benezia said as she tried to regain her footing and some of her dignity. "Since I caught the two of them Embracing Eternity a few minutes ago. Ask Diana if you don't believe me..."

"Benezia, go to your room," Shepard said, her voice tight with barely controlled rage.

"But –"

"Now!"

Flaring her biotics in annoyance, Benezia stormed between her parents and out into the hallway. That left Athena and Lycoris on the bed, clutching at each other's hands and trying not to look terrified.

Briefly, Liara touched Shepard's arm. The muscles underneath her fingertips were tense, and so was the set of her bondmate's jaw. "This is what's going to happen," Liara stated firmly, sensing that Shepard was still far too angry to deal with the problem rationally. "You're going to call Thea – and don't you dare yell at her. She and Aria can come pick up Lycoris. Before they leave, all of us will sit down and talk."

"I – I could just go, Dr. T'Soni... My hovercar is a few streets over. You don't need to call my parents," Lycoris said in a rush.

Shepard frowned. "Oh, I think we do."

Again, Liara stepped in as the mediator. Over the past ninety years together, her lover had changed somewhat as she aged. Thankfully, the heavy genetic and cybernetic modifications of the Lazarus project had allowed her body to repair itself at an unprecedented rate for a human. If Miranda Lawson's projected lifespan was two hundred and twenty five years, Shepard might even outlast her. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were a little more noticeable, and she occasionally complained of pain in her knees, but at one hundred and twenty two, Shepard was remarkably well preserved for her age. Although Liara knew she would probably still spend hundreds of years without Shepard by her side, the extra time was comforting. It was a relief to know that Shepard wouldn't leave their daughters until they were grown up.

And their oldest was, perhaps, acting a little too grown up for Shepard's tastes.

"Go call Thea. I'll handle this."

Shepard heaved a frustrated sigh and turned around. "I still have a few things that I need to say to Romeo and Juliet here, so this is just putting off the inevitable," she called back over her shoulder, mostly to make herself feel better.

Lycoris's brow knitted in confusion. "Romeo and who-the-fuck?"

"Human literature. Star-crossed lovers. It ended badly," Athena summarized. "Oh, Goddess. I – I don't feel well... Mom... My head... Everything hurts..." She rested her elbows on her thighs, burying her face in her hands. Lycoris tried to rub the center of her back, but soon found herself fighting a headache of her own, with a fair amount of nausea twisting in the pit of her stomach at the same time.

Immediately, Liara's frighteningly calm expression shifted to one of concern. "So, Benezia wasn't exaggerating. Breaking a mating meld abruptly can be very uncomfortable if you do it incorrectly." Liara approached the bed and sat down next to her daughter, letting Athena's forehead rest on her shoulder as she struggled to deal with the pain. Noticing Lycoris's tight, strained features, Liara stroked her arm briefly before patting a shaking knee beneath the sheets. She had known Aria and Tevos's daughter since her birth, and the questionable things she had been doing with Athena didn't cancel out Liara's maternal feelings for her.

"I know it hurts, but this is nothing unusual," she said, dropping a kiss on top of Athena's head and patting Lycoris's thigh before standing back up. "The headaches should go away soon. I'll get you both some water and pain relievers. Then, I want you two to get dressed and wait up here. I need to speak with your father."

"Mom?" Liara paused in front of the door, turning around to see Athena looking at her with wide, fearful eyes, the same color as Shepard's. "Is Dad going to be really upset?"

Liara gave her oldest daughter a tired smile and shook her head. "Don't worry about that. I'll speak to her."

. . .

"Well," Aria drawled as the front door opened to reveal Shepard's sour face, "you look absolutely thrilled to see us."

"Yeah, almost as thrilled as I was to see Lycoris defiling my daughter." Still frowning, Shepard stepped aside to let Aria and Tevos through the door, heading towards the smaller, more frequently used of the two kitchens at the T'Soni estate. She didn't bother looking back over her shoulder to make sure that Tevos and Aria were following.

They ran into Liara coming down the main staircase on their way, and Tevos met her eyes with a worried look on her face. "Were you just with the girls? Both of them are all right?"

"Apart from matching headaches, they're fine," Liara reassured her. "I told them to get dressed and wait for us upstairs."

"What about Diana and Benezia?" Shepard asked as the four of them continued on to the kitchen.

"I didn't check on Diana, but I could hear music coming from behind her door, so she's probably trying to catch up on the sleep she missed. Benezia is still sulking in her room. She can wait until after we've dealt with Athena and Lycoris." Liara opened the door to the kitchen and let the others pass through, reaching into one of the cabinets to pull out four wineglasses.

"Good idea," Shepard said from directly behind Liara, letting her hands settle on her bondmate's hips briefly. "I think we could all use a drink, but you go sit down. I'll handle it." Sensing that Shepard needed some menial task to occupy her while she processed everything that had happened, Liara allowed her to take over and went to sit down with Aria and Tevos.

"So, what happened, exactly?" Tevos asked Liara while Shepard went through the liquor cabinet. "Shepard didn't say much when she called. She just told me to pass my Omnitool to Aria, and then there was a lot of swearing. So far, all I've managed to figure out is that you caught Lycoris and Athena in a compromising position."

"That's a polite way of putting it," said Shepard. "Neither of you had any idea that this was going on?"

"We suspected Lycoris was seeing someone," Tevos admitted, "but we had no idea it was Athena, or we would have said something."

Shepard stopped rummaging around in the cabinet and turned around. "Wine, honey mead, or shots?"

"Shots," the other three said in unison.

"Don't even bother getting out shotglasses, these are fine," Aria added.

Shepard made her selection and closed the cabinet. "Works for me."

A minute later, all of them were drinking shots out of inappropriate glasses with an open bottle in the center of the table. "So, our kids are having sex. What are we going to do about it?" Aria leaned back slightly in her chair, crossing one leg over the other.

Shepard folded her arms over her chest. "I'm going to lock Athena in her room for the next century so that Lycoris can't corrupt her anymore. It's... easier that way."

Fortunately, Aria seemed amused instead of offended by that statement. "You go ahead and try that, Shepard. I'll be over here, laughing at you while you do."

Tevos poured herself another shot. "Is Shepard usually so uncomfortable with... all this?" she asked, directing the question at Liara.

"Unfortunately, yes. I had to do almost all of the sex talks," Liara muttered, sounding a little resentful. "She's impossible! I don't know whether it's a human thing, or just her own hang-ups, but..." She gestured helplessly with her hands before returning her attention to Shepard. "You need to respect Athena's choices. She isn't a child anymore, and threatening to lock her up, even as a joke, isn't helpful at all."

"Who's joking?" Shepard muttered under her breath.

"I think I know why you're upset, Shepard," said Aria. "You're just disturbed because you found out that your oldest daughter is a pillow-biting little bottom."

Shepard's jaw dropped and she suddenly felt dizzy. Liara snickered behind her hand, able to see the humor in the situation. Tevos pinched the side of Aria's arm through her jacket. Hard. "Aria! That was completely –"

"True," Liara said with a resigned sigh. "I used to monitor her extranet usage, for safety's sake."

Aria smirked. "Guess she takes after Mom, huh? Oh well, your middle kid looks like she's growing up to be a studly, fashion-forward Top. No idea where she picked that up from, considering what you wear, Shepard."

"You know, some people have perfectly nice sex without the power dynamics or labels," Shepard said hopefully. "In fact, some people are late bloomers, or aren't interested in sex at all. So, you know, that's also a possibility for Diana..." She looked at Liara, who slowly shook her head no. "Well, fuck. Since you're the expert on our daughters' sexual preferences, _Doctor_, what on earth has our youngest been looking at? Just please tell me it's not something really horrible and dark."

"I honestly have no idea about Benezia," Liara admitted. "Athena must have taught her how to clear her extranet history with that scrub program Tali designed."

Tevos and Aria turned to look at each other, communicating wordlessly. "Pillow queen?" Aria finally suggested.

"Pillow queen," Tevos agreed. "A bossy one."

Aria laughed. "Good work, Shepard. You've fathered a kinky bottom, a surprisingly well-dressed top, and a spoiled _prima donna_. Way to go for variety there."

"I'm not listening!" Shepard shouted, shoving her fingers in her ears. "La la la..."

"I agree that this is more information about our daughters' sex lives than we really needed to know, but at least now we can have a _calm, rational conversation_ about safety with all of them." Liara made sure to stress the words 'calm, rational conversation' so that Shepard could hear them over all the noise she was making.

Aria waved her hand dismissively. "Athena will be fine. I've gone over the ropes with Lycoris. Literally."

That was enough to cause Shepard to stop chanting. "Wait, what_?_"

"Do you want to see your girl walking around with unintentional ligature marks?" Shepard was too stunned to offer a response. "I didn't think so."

"I'm shocked Corrie listened to a word you said," Tevos said skeptically. "She's at the age where everything her parents say is automatically suspect."

"Well, I had to say something, even if I was mostly talking at her instead of with her. She forgot that her credit chit is still linked with our bank account, and I can view a copy of her statements on the extranet."

Tevos frowned, looking disappointed. "Wait, that's what those charges were for? I thought you went birthday shopping a little early."

Aria gave her bondmate a predatory grin, showing off even white teeth. "Unlike our daughter, I know how to hide my purchases."

"Now really isn't the time for flirting, you two," Shepard said. "We need to agree on what we're going to say to Athena and Lycoris."

"We can't shame them about this too much. I don't want Athena feeling guilty just because _someone_," Liara paused to kick Shepard under the table, "refuses to recognize that she's grown up."

"Not yet," Shepard protested. "She's not grown up _yet..._"

"Grown up enough to experience her first mating meld, and who knows how long this has been going on."

"So you actually caught them joining, not just fooling around?" Aria asked. "In that case, the first order of business is to make sure neither of them is pregnant."

Shepard looked ill at that, and Liara gripped gently beneath her elbow to steady her. "I'm sure Athena and Lycoris were responsible..."

"They'd better be," Aria growled, looking upset for the first time so far that night. "I gave Lycoris the damn pills myself. If she hasn't been using them, you won't have to kill her, Shepard, because I will."

Liara let out an audible sigh of relief. "I'm glad Lycoris had some with her. I had no idea Athena was sexually active, and I don't keep any hormone blockers around the house." She scrunched up her face, reliving an unpleasant memory. "I always hated them."

"Don't you dare tell Athena that," said Shepard. "We can't give them any excuses to slip up."

"What should we tell them, then?" Tevos asked.

"Take precautions against DNA mapping, don't mix sex with drugs –" Liara shot Aria a glance, as if waiting for her to interrupt, but she only shrugged.

"Hey, just because I've done certain things doesn't mean I want my daughter doing them. She's supposed to be better than me." Although she still occasionally sold them, along with a variety of other illegal items, Aria had avoided mind-altering drugs for centuries. Running an empire, dodging hits, and negotiating with some of the most dangerous people in the Galaxy was difficult enough without trying to do it while high or in need of a fix. "I'm on board with the 'don't Meld while high as balls' rule."

"High as... what?" Tevos did a double take, and then cleared her throat. "Where did you hear that phrase, I wonder?" She and Liara both glared at Shepard, who rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

"How about we just tell them to knock it off and call it a day?"

"Absolutely not. I suppose we should say something about sexually transmitted infections..."

All the blood left Shepard's face, leaving her exceptionally pale with a terrified expression. "Oh God, I don't even want to think about that..."

"And maybe some general bondage safety guidelines, considering what Lycoris bought on the extranet," Aria added.

Shepard clutched Liara's arm with one hand and the edge of the table with the other, sagging forward as though she was going to topple over. Liara passed her glass over to Shepard. "Here, have another drink. You look like you need it more than I do." Shepard downed the alcohol without comment.

Tevos ignored Shepard's overly dramatic response and continued brainstorming. "We should probably add something about making sure you're alone and unlikely to be interrupted before Melding."

Liara blushed. "Well, that's a little hypocritical for the four of us to say. Besides, after having Benezia barge in on them, I'm sure they will keep their extracurricular activities far, far away from other people for a long time."

"That's another mess we have to clean up," Shepard muttered. "What the hell are we going to tell Nezzy about all this?"

"That it's rude to interrupt, and she should mind her own business. I suppose she's due for another safety lecture as well."

"And Diana?"

"Poor Diana has been through enough. We'll leave her alone to recover."

Once Shepard had gotten a little of her color back, Tevos stood up from the table. "So, should we divide and conquer, or present a united front?"

"Divide and conquer," Liara suggested, standing up as well. "I don't trust Shepard around Lycoris right now. Sorry, love," she added as Shepard crossed her arms over her chest. "You can have the bedroom, and we'll bring Athena down here."

"I'm all for that," Shepard said. "I'm not exactly excited about returning to the scene of the crime."

"A little weird, though, isn't it? Having a sex talk with my kid in her girlfriend's bedroom..."

"I don't need those images in my brain while I'm trying to have a rational conversation," Shepard insisted. "You take the bedroom."

Tevos nodded. "I don't care where this happens, but it needs to happen sooner rather than later. Who knows what they've been doing up there in the meantime..."

Shepard immediately bolted for the kitchen door. "Come on, hurry! Just leave the glasses, they'll be fine..."

. . .

"You know, we could just leave," Lycoris suggested, pacing back and forth next to the window. "My hovercar's outside. We could climb out of the window, drive away..."

Still lying in the middle of the bed, Athena didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about Lycoris's idea. "And then what? We have nowhere to go, and we don't have any credits."

"Anywhere is better than here," Lycoris muttered. "I think your father is going to try and kill me. And I've seen the vid footage of her on Rannoch."

Athena frowned at the mention of the war, a topic her parents had forced themselves to discuss with her at various times while she was growing up, but obviously disliked remembering. When she was old enough to understand, she had done her own research on the subject, and had been horrified by what she found. Even though she respected everything her father and mother had done, she didn't particularly like thinking about it. Diana had a different opinion. She was fascinated by their family's history, and it had inspired her to begin combat training as soon as she was old enough. Benezia was too preoccupied with her own life to care that her parents had saved the galaxy.

"My Dad isn't going to kill you..." Athena paused for a moment. "... I think."

"Thanks. That's really reassuring."

With a sigh, Athena climbed off the bed and walked over to Lycoris, who was still staring longingly out the window. She reached out and ran a soothing hand down Lycoris's arm. "It will be fine. I promise. Just really, really awkward."

Lycoris turned and put her hands on either side of her lover's neck, using her thumbs to ease away some of the tension in her shoulders. Despite her reassurances that everything would work out, Athena was still holding herself stiffly. "I don't think your Dad would kill me in front of my parents, at least." Lycoris dropped a kiss beside her neckfolds and nuzzled the warm skin there, trying to offer reassurance. Without conscious thought, Athena relaxed into the touch, tilting her head to offer Lycoris more access to her neck.

The sound of a throat clearing from the doorway made both of them jump apart. Much like she had earlier, Commander Shepard was standing in the doorway with a frown, her arms crossed over her chest. "Dad! We weren't... I was..."

Aria pushed Shepard aside, distracting her from her attempt at intimidation. "Give them some credit, Shepard. They're not stupid enough to try anything when they knew the four of us were coming upstairs."

"It certainly looked like _your_ daughter was trying something..." Shepard complained, but she stepped aside so that Liara and Tevos could follow them into the room.

"We're not angry with either of you," Liara started to say.

"Speak for yourself..."

"Shepard! As I was saying, we're not angry, and we only want to talk about a few things to make sure the two of you are being safe." Athena and Lycoris shared an exasperated look. Obviously, this was their punishment for getting caught. "Athena, we would like you to follow us to the kitchen for a few minutes. Lycoris, Tevos, and Aria will join us afterward."

Lycoris sighed and slumped her shoulders, but couldn't resist stealing a glance at Athena's retreating form as she joined her parents in the doorway. "Hey, Casanova, eyes up," Shepard barked, and Lycoris felt the bizarre urge to stand at attention.

"Wait, who?"

"I think that's our cue to leave," Liara said, hurrying Shepard back through the door with a gentle push. Shepard kept eye contact with Lycoris for several more seconds as she left, making sure the asari understood that they would definitely be having words later before she allowed her bondmate to drag her from the room.

As soon as Liara, Shepard, and Athena had left the room and closed the door, Aria rounded on her daughter. "Really, Lycoris? I taught you better than this, and if I didn't, the extranet should have." Aria used her biotics to lift a small, clear bottle that was resting on the foot of the unmade bed and sent it flying towards the center of Lycoris's chest. She caught it with a slightly irritated, slightly horrified look. "You know you need water-based lube for silicone toys. And remember, I know all about your little extranet shopping spree, so don't try to deny it."

"Aria! Not now," Tevos said, shooting her bondmate a warning glare. "I know you don't want to have this conversation, but stop trying to sabotage it."

"What, do you want all those credits to go to waste?" Tevos's glare convinced her that it would be a wise idea to change the subject back to what they had discussed in the kitchen. "Alright, alright, fine. Look, kid, you're a pureblood, and your Mom and I made damn sure you knew what you might be in for during sex decades ago. Just please tell me that you're not pregnant, and neither is she. The last thing I need is a shared grandkid with Shepard right now... What? I'm not going to lie!" she added when Tevos clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

Lycoris frowned and rubbed her upper arm. "We're not. Don't you trust me?"

"Trust has nothing to do with it. I've been with purebloods before. Even your Mom's gone baby crazy on me a couple of times, and her Dad was a turian. Melding that deep might seem hot right now, but don't let it fuck with your head. Not everyone can be the model of self-control like Liara, and even she ended up with three kids."

"Well, Benezia's annoying enough to have been an accident, that's for fucking sure," Lycoris muttered under her breath.

Tevos sighed. She had stopped trying to prevent Lycoris from swearing years ago, realizing that complaining would only encourage her daughter further, but that didn't mean she had to like it. "You're only eighty five, Corrie. It's true that your maiden years are a time for excitement and healthy sexual exploration, but you have to be responsible about it."

"Goddess, I already told you, I'm not pregnant and I didn't knock her up! I take my pills when I feel like I can't handle it. I don't like it, but I'm not stupid."

"You need to take them every time, not just when you feel like you can't handle it," Tevos insisted. "It takes a lot of practice to know how far to push without crossing the line."

"Do you take them every time?"

Decades ago, when Lycoris was still very young, Tevos had made a promise to herself that she would never lie to her daughter when asked a direct question. This time was no exception. "I took hormone blockers regularly with my first girlfriend. Your father and I don't use them now, and maybe you won't have to either after a couple decades of practice, but for now, you should keep taking them."

Lycoris was quiet for almost an entire minute, considering everything her parents had said. "Did the two of you decide to have me on purpose?"

"You were planned," said Aria. "Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"The two of us did plan for you. The planning stage was just really, really short..." Aria paused, turning her face away so that she wouldn't have to meet Lycoris's eyes. "Your sister was an accident." Lycoris had grown up knowing about her deceased sister, who had been murdered several years before she was even born. Aria had shown her holos more than once, and shared a few stories in her more nostalgic moods. "I don't regret having Liselle, but I was completely unprepared for a child. Trust me, you don't want to be thinking about that for another couple of centuries at least."

The uncomfortable look on Lycoris's face was somewhat reassuring. "I'll take my pills."

Tevos smiled. "Good." She paused, considering the least awkward way to phrase her next question. "Is Athena the only partner you've had so far?"

"No!" Lycoris answered quickly, glancing from side to side. Then she seemed to remember that it was her parents she was talking to, and her usual bravado wasn't necessary. "... Yes."

Aria breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank the Goddess. I don't want Shepard coming after you for giving her daughter some kind of horrible disease." Lycoris had the decency to look offended. "It's a joke, kid. Athena's a good choice. Just try not to aggravate Shepard for a while, okay? Because I'm the one that will have to deal with it when you do."

"I would be more afraid of Liara, to be honest," Tevos added.

Aria could already picture it. Shipments disappearing. Shadow Broker agents crawling all over Omega. False information supplied to her own agents. Untimely interruptions to her business meetings... or to her "personal meetings" with Tevos. Aria didn't necessarily mind that last one if she had been invited in the first place, but Liara was also in the habit of calling or visiting at exactly the wrong time. Aria was convinced that Liara did it on purpose just to irritate her, while Tevos considered it a string of bad – or sometimes good – luck. Sometimes, Aria wondered how her bondmate could remain so naïve despite being one of the most powerful asari in the galaxy.

"Yeah. You really don't want to piss off your girlfriend's parents, kid. If you do, you're on your own." Aria gave Lycoris a light biotic tug in the direction of the door. "Head downstairs to the kitchen. Shepard and Liara have to be done with their boring lecture by now."

In a rare show of obedience, Lycoris walked between her parents and out into the hallway, staring back over her shoulder when they didn't follow. "Don't worry," Tevos said, immediately reading Aria's body language and remaining in place, "we'll be right behind you. Just give us a moment."

"If you start making out in here, I'll let Benezia out of her room so she can interrupt you," Lycoris said sourly.

"I guess some annoying behaviors are inherited," Aria muttered as her daughter left the room.

Tevos rolled her eyes. "Everything Lycoris does is proof of that," she said, bumping her shoulder lightly against Aria's. When she didn't respond, Tevos reached out to hold her hand. "You're thinking about Liselle, aren't you?"

"I never had this conversation with her," Aria said in a low voice. "I taught her a lot of things. How to pilot a shuttle, how to shoot a pistol, the easiest way to kill someone with biotics... Never to trust anyone. Maybe if I'd taken a couple of minutes to talk with her about choosing a decent partner, even just for casual sex, she wouldn't be dead." She pulled her hand away and glanced briefly out the window. "Our kid did all right this time, Thea."

"It does seem rather fitting. I can't think of a better surname for our grandchildren than T'Soni... in a couple more centuries, of course."

Aria pulled a face. "No. We're not thinking about that. End of discussion. Come on, let's go downstairs." Of course, she couldn't resist punctuating that statement with a very audible smack against Tevos's backside as she passed through the door.

. . .

"So."

"So...?"

"So," Liara said, ignoring the awkward, failed attempts at conversation between her bondmate and their daughter. "Here we are. I suppose we knew this conversation was coming sooner or later."

"You make it sound like a big, traumatic event," Athena muttered.

"It doesn't have to be," Liara said, mostly to Shepard, who still looked doubtful. "We just care about you and want to make sure you're being responsible."

Sometimes, Athena wished that her parents cared just a little bit less, but she didn't say so. Instead, she stared longingly at the nearly empty wineglasses on the table. Alcohol would probably make this situation more tolerable, but even though she was of legal age, she knew that asking would upset her father, who still had a bewildered, uncomfortable look on her face.

"Okay. These are the new rules. If I ever catch you two again, I'm throwing Lover Girl out through the window and locking you in your room until you've earned your first Doctorate. Got it?"

"Shepard!"

"What, do you really want Aria to be our first granddaughter's other grandparent? It's just... just... awkward... and asking for trouble. Wrong on so many levels!"

Liara gave Shepard a chastising look. "It's also not your decision," she said icily. Shepard's shoulders slumped and she buried her face in her hands, letting out an aggravated sigh. "Aria told us that she provided Lycoris with hormone blockers. Has at least one of you been using them?" Liara asked, deciding that direct questions might help to move the conversation forward.

"Yes." Although she tried to hide it, the annoyance must have shown on her face, because Liara jumped in again.

"I know some asari dislike them, myself included. But until you're much more experienced, or willing to accept the responsibilities of parenthood, one of you needs to keep taking them."

Athena's look of irritation changed to one of surprise. "You don't like them either?"

"I hate them," Liara said.

Shepard raised her head and looked at her bondmate with alarm. "Don't tell her that!"

Liara ignored her. "So while I sympathize," she continued, "you shouldn't use that as an excuse."

"So you didn't use them when you were my age?"

"I hadn't experienced the mating meld yet at your age." Liara smiled when Shepard, who looked a little more relaxed, gave her knee a squeeze underneath the table. "But when I did, I only used them intermittently. I suppose the threat of death looming over our heads made me extra careful, but looking back, I was showing remarkably poor judgment. Even when you're experienced, mistakes are surprisingly easy to make."

Something about the tone of her mother's voice made Athena suspicious. "Mom, was I..."

"No. We were eager to start our family after the war," Liara said, anticipating Athena's question.

However, her father's face had an equally guilty look, and Athena kept pushing. "Benezia?"

"We were thrilled to have her," Shepard said, "but she wasn't exactly... well..."

Athena's face split in a malicious grin and she leaned forward. "Oh? That's really interesting, Dad."

"Your sister was very much wanted, even though we got a little carried away..." Liara said, trying to gloss over the awkward admission. "We already had two daughters, and we were in a comfortable position to welcome a third. You are still at University, and you're far too young to carry a child safely. In fact, your Aunt Karin had to monitor me very closely while I was pregnant with you, since I was still a maiden."

Athena and her sisters had always been surrounded by dozens of various uncles, aunts, and cousins that weren't actually blood relatives. Many of them had been her father's squadmates during the war, and it had been painful to watch them age and die while she grew up. Diana had been absolutely inconsolable when their Aunt Ashley passed away last year, since they had been particularly close, but it had spurred her to start her own Commando training. Ashley had been the one to teach all of them basic marksmanship, since according to their Uncle Garrus – who absolutely refused to admit he and Aunt Tali were old, and had spent decades teaching them long-range sniping – "your Dad is the best fighter and the worst shot I've ever seen."

Aria and Tevos had also been a large presence in Athena's life since her birth, although the one time Benezia had dared to call her 'Aunt Aria', the Queen of Omega had responded with such a shocked, horrified look that her father hadn't been able to stop laughing for hours.

"Dad... you're not mad at me for this... are you?" she asked.

Shepard sighed and stared down at her lap, obviously judging her words carefully before she spoke. Eventually, she seemed to give up and sag her shoulders, looking across the table at her oldest daughter with such a naked expression that Athena felt her stomach lurch. There were so many emotions displayed on her father's face that she couldn't even begin to sort through them.

"I'm not mad. I just – I want you to understand..." she paused, reaching out to grip Liara's hand. The asari was surprised, but didn't object, and ran her thumb affectionately over Shepard's knuckles. "You've always been smart, Athena. Just like your mother. But I've been around a while, especially by human standards, and there are some things I want to make sure you know, even though it's uncomfortable for me to talk about them."

"Dad..."

"Just hear me out for a minute. Then I promise you can skulk away and try to forget how awkward this conversation was. There are all kinds of people in the world, and lots of them have sex for different reasons. But when you have sex, you should know what your reasons are. The first time I had sex, I did it because I was curious. Then, I did it because it felt good. Those are valid reasons, and there's nothing wrong with them, but they're not the _best_ reasons."

"Shepard," Liara murmured, squeezing her lover's hand, but letting her voice trail off when Shepard glanced at her. A moment of silent reassurance passed between them before Shepard turned back to their daughter.

"The best reason to have sex is because you're in love. You care about the other person, and you want to show them. And they should respect you and care about you, too." She paused to smile at Liara. "Your Mom taught me that. Not only does it make the physical side of things better, it makes your life better. It makes _you_ better."

Athena shifted a little in her chair, but didn't seem too traumatized, so Shepard continued. "I hope you keep using those hormone blockers with Lycoris. I hope you've told her and shown her what you like so you can enjoy yourselves as much as possible, and I hope you've also told her what your limits are so she can respect them." The silent_, 'and if she doesn't, I'll kick her ass,' _was implied. "I hope you've asked her about her limits, too, and picked a safe word. But most of all, I hope you find out what it's like to love someone – whether Lycoris is it for you, or whether you go on to meet somebody else in the future – because loving your mother and being loved by her has changed my life, and me, more than I can express in this horrible speech. And thank God that's over, Liara, because I think I might pass out..."

Despite the fact that their daughter was watching, Liara couldn't resist shifting in her chair and leaning over to press a kiss against her bondmate's temple. "I am so proud of you," she whispered in Shepard's ear, blinking back a few tears.

For the third time that day, the sound of a throat clearing in the doorway startled the occupants of the room. Aria was leaning casually against the wall, and for once, her smile wasn't dripping with sarcasm or smugness. "Nice speech, Shepard. You were listening to the end of that, right, kid?" She nudged Lycoris, who was standing reluctantly beside her, with Tevos at her other shoulder.

"Yeah..."

"I've got one more thing for both of you," Tevos said, activating her Omnitool and pulling up her reader. "I'm loaning you a book from my library, Corrie. Both of you should read it."

"Which one?" Liara asked.

"_The Considerate Top: The World of Sexual Dominance and Submission. _Why?"

"Oh, good. That one has a bondage safety chapter. Beware of purple prose in some of the longer paragraphs, though." Lycoris and Athena shared horrified looks. Shepard reached for one of the used glasses on the table and made a noise of disgust and desperation when she found it empty.

"Our parents do _not_ know about this. They do _not_ know about this..." Athena muttered under her breath.

"Oh, come on." Lycoris wasn't similarly disturbed. "Where do you think the dungeon came from?"

Aria did a double take. "Wait, how did you even get – well, fuck... I guess I need to change the code." She purposefully ignored Shepard, who was radiating fury mixed with something that looked like nausea.

Lycoris shuddered. "We only went in there once, we didn't use anything, and it's definitely going to stay that way."

Shepard's full-body sigh of relief nearly sent her chair toppling over. Even Liara's face seemed a little more washed out than usual.

"I should probably clarify that your father and I don't really use the dungeon either, Lycoris. It's mostly a showroom."

"I don't want to know, Mom. Really."

Shepard hesitantly raised one hand. "I vote we all end the conversation here and agree to never, ever speak of it again."

"Good plan," said Liara, getting up from the table and heading over to the liquor cabinet. "I think all of us could use another bottle. Wine this time?"

"I could use some Ryncol," Lycoris said to herself, and Tevos clicked her tongue in rebuke.

"The only thing you're going to do right now is fly home."

"By myself?" Lycoris asked, desperate to escape, but also reluctant to abandon her lover. She glanced back and forth from Athena to the freedom of the hall.

"Yes, by yourself. You need to take your Skycar back, anyway."

Lycoris looked as though she might object until Liara made a suggestion. "Athena can walk you out. And Lycoris, you've always been welcome here. That hasn't changed." Lycoris didn't give a verbal answer, but she shot Liara a grateful smile before grabbing Athena's hand and yanking her out of the kitchen.

. . .

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Athena asked Lycoris, letting their linked hands swing gently between their bodies as they walked. "My Dad didn't kill you, at least."

Lycoris sighed as they reached the front door, turning so that she could hold both of Athena's hands in hers. "No. Well, it was bad. But it could have been worse. You were right, we should have told them sooner."

"What was that again?" Athena teased, leaning forward slightly and bringing their faces close.

"Yeah, yeah, I said you were right. It's not a big deal." Lycoris was rewarded for her admission with a kiss. She expected it to be a quick peck, and made a small sound of surprise when she felt a warm tongue press against her lips. That didn't mean she objected, however, and she allowed Athena to explore her mouth for a few moments until she remembered what had happened the last time they were in this position.

Athena laughed when Lycoris pulled away and glanced nervously over her shoulder. "They're going away in a few days, you know. I think both of our parents are headed for the Citadel next week." Growing up, Athena had spent much of her childhood being shuttled between Vancouver, Armali, the Citadel, and occasionally the smaller apartment on Serrice. At the time, Athena had resented being forced to travel so often, because it made friendships more difficult to maintain, but looking back, she realized that her parents had brought her along to keep their family together. Now, she appreciated the lengths her parents had gone to in order to spend as much time with her as possible.

"Oh?" Lycoris said, trying to sound seductive, although the second look she cast behind her ruined the effect. "So, you'll have this big mansion all to yourself?"

"My sisters and I will have this big mansion all to ourselves," Athena clarified.

"Oh, so now you want to go to my place? Figures."

"My bed has a better headboard."

Lycoris smirked, using her biotics to tug Athena into her arms. "I don't need a headboard..." Athena practically melted against her, and Lycoris laughed. "You are so easy."

"Only for you..." The plaintive tone in Athena's voice was obvious, and Lycoris reluctantly let her go.

"What, you didn't get enough earlier?" she asked, pretending to sound exasperated. "I must have spent at least an hour with my head between your legs this time. My neck is killing me."

"I know! I feel cheated because I never got to return the favor." Lycoris's resolve wavered when she felt Athena press back against her, pulling close and tucking her face against the nearest shoulder. The tease of her breath was difficult enough to resist, but when she grazed a patch of open skin with her teeth before latching on with a small, hot mouth, Lycoris felt her knees threaten to give. "Take me home with you, Corrie. Please?"

That was when Lycoris became aware of being watched. She purposely kept her muscles loose and relaxed instead of tensing them with surprise. Only the threat of certain death – and death was certain if she took Athena back to her place after today's fiasco – was enough motivation for Lycoris to untangle herself from her lover's arms. "In a few days, I promise. Call me tomorrow?" she said in a low voice, hoping whoever was watching her couldn't hear.

"Oh, I'll call you. But you won't like it. Or maybe you'll like it too much. We'll see." Before Lycoris could stop her, Athena leaned forward and kissed her again, draping her arms around Lycoris's neck. When she pulled away, Lycoris half expected to see the red dot of a sniper rifle trained on her forehead, and resisted the temptation to wave a hand in front of her face to check. Adding a deliberate sway to her hips, Athena turned around and headed up the stairs, and even though she knew that they weren't alone, Lycoris couldn't resist stealing a few glances before she disappeared around the first corner.

"Smart move. If you had gotten any handsier with her, I would have had to kick you out the door. Literally."

Lycoris couldn't help standing up a bit straighter as Commander Shepard stepped into the entryway from one of the adjoining halls. She rubbed nervously at the back of her neck. "I wasn't – I mean, she was... Oh, never mind."

Shepard sighed. "Sometimes, I wish she was a little less like her mother," she said to herself, shaking her head. When Lycoris gave her a confused, nervous look, Shepard refocused her attention and crossed her arms over her chest. Suddenly, Lycoris realized where Diana had gotten her body type, and where Athena had gotten her eyes. "Anyway. You. If I find out you broke her heart, I won't hesitate to break your face."

The two of them stared at each other for several long, drawn-out seconds. "I love her, if that makes a difference."

"Don't you dare tell my daughter you love her unless you damn well mean it."

"I mean it."

Shepard didn't smile, but she had stopped frowning as well. "You're serious."

"Yeah. I am."

With a sigh of resignation, Shepard turned away. "Just remember that a lot of people with guns love her, too. And all of them know how to make bodies disappear."

"Understood."

"Good." Obviously feeling that her message had been imparted, Shepard turned and headed back down the hallway, leaving Lycoris to stand by the door just long enough to make it look like she wasn't running away.

. . .

"So, how did the threatening go?" Aria asked casually as Shepard came back into the kitchen. She stared down into her glass, spinning the dark red liquid and watching how it clung to the sides.

"Well, I caught them necking, but aside from that, it went pretty well."

"I suppose Lycoris is persistent," Liara said neutrally, leaving her hands folded in her lap.

Shepard pulled a face and rubbed the back of her head. "Well, it was actually our daughter that – you know what? Forget it. In fact, let's forget this entire day."

"It wasn't that terrible," Tevos argued.

"Speak for yourself."

"The two of you are more than welcome to stay the night," Liara interjected in order to change the subject. "Platonically," she added, taking note of Shepard's flat expression.

Aria didn't seem disappointed. "Finding out our kids are fucking is a huge libido killer anyway. For once, I'd rather watch an old vid and play some kind of drinking game."

"We could watch Vaenia?" Tevos suggested. "It's old, but a classic."

"What would the drinking game be?" Liara asked.

"Drink once for every xenophobic stereotype or comment, twice for every 'Embrace Eternity', three times whenever one of the leads claims 'our relationship is over', four times for every threesome."

Aria and Shepard objected at the same time. "We'll die of alcohol poisoning," overlapped with, "God, please, nothing with sex in it. Not after this afternoon."

Liara put forth a new proposal. "One of the old Blasto movies? The one with the elcor... The Jellyfish Stings? That came out during the war. It's definitely old."

"That one has a sex scene, too," Tevos pointed out, although she didn't object to the idea.

"Yeah, but it's between an elcor and a hanar. That's bizarre enough for me to handle."

Aria grinned. "You know, I've never been with an elcor."

"That's a good thing," Shepard hastened to reassure her.

"A very good thing," Liara agreed. "What's the drinking game? Thea?"

Tevos thought about it for a moment. "One drink every time Blasto violates regulations, two drinks every time his partner says the phrase 'by the book', three every time something is set on fire, four every time he calls the female elcor some kind of awkward pet name."

Shepard reached for the half-empty bottle in the middle of the table. "All right, let's get started. I've got some memories I need to erase."

. . .


End file.
